Thankful
by belovedbeauty
Summary: After a tough year, Bella and Edward share joyous news that just might be sent by an angel. /AH AU Canon Couples.


_**Author's Note: **First and foremost, I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! This little one-shot was not planned, and therefore has not seen the eyes of my beloved beta. I was feeling nostalgic, and a little sad about the holiday. I think this was more of a present to myself (a reminder) and I wanted to share it with all of you._ _I apologize for any grammar mistakes, or if it's at all hard to follow. _

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight, that belongs solely to the lovely and down-to-earth Stephenie Meyer. I do however own a large amount of gratitude to the fandom and all its given me over these four years.

* * *

Standing over a warm stove, Isabella Cullen's focus drifted back and forth between mashing the potatoes, and watching the snow flutter past her window. She could hear the enticing laughter echoing from her living room, whispering around her like a warm embrace.

Even as the years wore on, she was still pleasantly surprised at how warm and welcoming the Cullen's had been towards her. When she had first stumbled into their lives, lost within the depth of a deep black ocean, she had struggled to find a life preserve.

It had taken her and Edward a few tries before they managed to not only save her, but create the beautiful life built before her now.

Tucking a loose strand behind her ear, she smiled down at the bowl—quietly ignoring the way her eyes flooded with tears. This year had been a hard one, and despite the obstacles she had faced before, they had never prepared her for her father's death.

It had been a shock for the entire family—and nobody could blame Bella for her immediate reaction to slip back into her world of security. Locking herself away had always been the easiest choice. She knew the comfort that followed behind that decision.

But Edward wasn't afraid to pin her in a corner anymore. It took a lot of coaxing from the family, and time, to pull her out of her bubble and back into the real world.

Standing at the stove in the kitchen, Bella shook her head in relief. Of course it was hard for her to handle the holidays without her father—he'd been gone for over a year now. But it had only been a few months since Bella had opened her eyes and allowed her extended family in to help her.

"Do you need any help, dear?" Looking up and over her shoulder, Bella smiled at her mother in law and shook her head. Releasing her utensil, she wiped her hands on her apron.

"Not right now. I'm mostly working on the little things." Leaning down to open the over door, she carefully checked the turkeys temperature and the timer. "Dinner should be ready shortly, I think. Although, this bird is being quite stubborn." With a shaky laugh, she wrinkled her nose at the smells wafting towards her.

Swallowing back the bile rising her throat, she hoped her face didn't convey her sudden nausea and looked up at Esme. "Actually, do you mind taking over mashing the potatoes? I have to use the restroom."

"Oh, of course." With an odd look from Esme, Bella forced a smile and rushed from the kitchen and towards the bathroom.

Edward watched her from his place on the couch, immediately getting to his feet and following behind her. As soon as the bathroom door was pushed open, and the light flipped on, Bella's knee's buckled towards the porcelain bowl.

Kneeling down beside her, Edward pulled her hair out of the way and rubbed her back affectionately. With a soft kick of his leg, the bathroom door swung shut as Bella's heaving raised in volume.

After only a few short moments, she fell back into Edward with a disgruntled sigh. "I don't think I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving this year."

"You could… even if you have to enjoy it twice," Edward joked and reached over to grab a few sheets of toilet paper. Bella thanked him as she wiped her mouth, making the funniest face as she hurried to lean forward again.

There wasn't much for her to heave this time—she'd been careful with what she had to eat, sticking with things that wouldn't upset her stomach. Still, her body slumped back into Edward—exhausted.

"Shall I tell Esme to take over the duty of cooking?"

Quickly shaking her head, she raised her hands for him to help her up. Dutiful to his wife, he pulled her to her feet and turned her towards the sink. She made quick work of brushing her teeth, before smiling softly at Edward and heading out the bathroom door.

All eyes were on them as they re-entered the living room. The television had been turned down, and Esme stood at the edge of the kitchen with the potato masher in her hand.

"I think the gig is up," Edward leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear, causing her to shiver in delight and giggle.

"Ya think, Sherlock?" She bantered back, stepping back to wrap an arm around his waist and smile brightly at her family.

Edward cleared his throat, looking down at Bella with vibrant green eyes full of adoration and love. "So… we were going to wait for dinner to begin and make a toast. But apparently we couldn't make it that long."

Looking up at Edward and rolling her eyes, Bella shook her head and continued. "We wanted to wait until today, because both Edward and I are so thankful for what all of you have done for us this year. Well, for as long as I've known you really," trailing off, Bella looked up at Edward expectantly.

With an over dramatic sigh, he turned his attention towards the room and smiled broadly. "Bella and I are going to have a baby."

For a second, the room remained quiet, until Rosalie stuck her hand out towards Jasper. Bella and Edward watched in complete shock as he hung his head and slapped a twenty in her open palm.

"You were betting on us!" Bella exclaimed, clicking her tongue and shaking her head.

Rosalie smiled, leaving her seat to move towards the couple and embrace Bella with wide open arms. "I've had it pegged for a week now."

Sighing, Edward dropped his arm from Bella's waist and watched as everyone blinked at once before a chorus of voice sounded out.

"Congratulations, baby!"

"Oh, son! I'm so happy for you!"

"I hope it's a girl!"

"I can't believe I lost! But, congrats man!"

"Dude! I'm gonna be an uncle!"

In a flash, everyone moved to embrace Edward and Bella, whispering their congratulations. It wasn't as much to take in as it once had been.

Even as Bella pulled away, staring into the happy faces of her new family, she felt the tug in her heart that she wished her father could have been here to congratulate her, too.

With a soft poke to her side, she looked up into Edward's shining eyes, and sighed. He knew her so well nowadays. Whenever she began to slip, he knew exactly what would pull her back to him.

She couldn't help the tears as he leaned down and whispered, "He got to know the news first. You know this was his gift to us."

And she did. No matter where he was now, whether it be with her physically or spiritually, she knew deep down in her heart that he had given her this little miracle to remind her that he would always be with her.

As the family moved towards the dining room, she watched with adoration as they settled into their chairs, chattering animatedly. Rubbing her flat stomach, she glanced out the window towards the fluttering snow and whispered, "Happy Thanksgiving, daddy."

* * *

_**A/N: **For those of you that read this on Turkey day, I'm thankful that you took the time. I'm also incredibly thankful for the Twi-verse of what's it brought into my life. I wrote this while listening to sad music. It's been a hard year and a half for me, as my father passed away in July of 2011. I wrote this to remind myself that although he may not be here with me now, he's always around. And he would want me to enjoy the holiday just as I would if he was here. _

_It's a hard concept for me to grasp, and I know I'm not alone when it comes to holidays and celebrating them without a loved one. So I wanted to share my reminder that though they may be gone physically, they are never gone spiritually. I'm still working on accepting it, and I can understand if any of my readers that have experienced this feel the same._

_I hope you all have a very lovely, and joyous Thanksgiving. Here's to too much turkey, and cold weather. Much, much love to each and everyone of you,_

_xxBeloved_


End file.
